Strs Ohio Has $1.27 Million Stock Holdings in American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO)

Strs Ohio raised its stake in American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) by 135.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 60,200 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 34,600 shares during the period. Strs Ohio’s holdings in American Eagle Outfitters were worth $1,273,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. bought a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale acquired a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Castleview Partners LLC grew its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 1,608.3% during the third quarter. Castleview Partners LLC now owns 2,665 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 2,509 shares during the period. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC bought a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the third quarter worth approximately $105,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the fourth quarter worth approximately $144,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.33% of the company’s stock.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Performance

AEO stock opened at $22.52 on Tuesday. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $9.95 and a fifty-two week high of $26.44. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $23.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $20.92. The company has a market capitalization of $4.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.59.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The apparel retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 17.76% and a net margin of 3.23%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.37 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. will post 1.71 earnings per share for the current year.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 26th. Investors of record on Friday, April 12th will be paid a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 11th. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is 58.14%.

American Eagle Outfitters declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 1st that authorizes the company to buyback 30,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the apparel retailer to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on AEO shares. UBS Group raised their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. Citigroup raised their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Bank of America lifted their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $21.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. StockNews.com cut American Eagle Outfitters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded American Eagle Outfitters from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $31.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.27.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jennifer M. Foyle sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.00, for a total value of $420,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 232,459 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,881,639. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other American Eagle Outfitters news, insider Jennifer M. Foyle sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.00, for a total transaction of $420,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 232,459 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,881,639. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 1,908 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.59, for a total transaction of $46,917.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 72,319 shares of company stock worth $1,732,938 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 7.50% of the company’s stock.

American Eagle Outfitters Company Profile

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc operates as a multi-brand specialty retailer in the United States and internationally. The company provides jeans, apparel and accessories, and personal care products for women and men under the American Eagle brand; and intimates, apparel, activewear, and swim collections under the Aerie and OFFLINE by Aerie brands.